TitleNews Online Archive

TitleNews Online Archive

First American Title Expands Hispanic Marketing Program in Phoenix

September 19, 2005

PHOENIX, -- First American Title Insurance Company has launched an enhanced Hispanic marketing program in greater Phoenix designed to help increase homeownership opportunities among Maricopa County's Hispanic community. The program will help address the needs of Hispanic homebuyers by assisting real estate practitioners in better serving this growing homebuyer segment.

As part of its Phoenix area kickoff, First American will host a seminar and reception for real estate agents and mortgage lenders on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Comedor Guadalajara, 1830 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. Gary A. Acosta, chief executive officer of Prado Home Mortgage and co-founder of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, (NAHREP) will provide a keynote address entitled: "Economic Empowerment for Latinos in the 21st Century." Other speakers will include Margie O'Campo de Castillo, president of the Phoenix chapter of the Hispanic Association of Real Estate Professionals (HAREP) and Pablo Wong, vice president of Emerging Markets for First American Title Insurance Company.

The Phoenix kickoff marks the extension of First American's Emerging Markets Program -- a comprehensive plan helping to increase home sales to Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American and other traditionally under-served consumer segments -- into Arizona. The program has been highly successful in California and Nevada and has begun to take root in other key regions across the United States.

Hispanics, African-Americans and Asian-Americans are the fastest growing segment of homebuyers in the nation. First American has set the goal of becoming the leading provider of title insurance and real estate information services to this growth segment.

First American's Phoenix Hispanic marketing program will help breakdown the cultural, language and financial education barriers that often arise when members of the Hispanic community enter the homebuying process. It is comprised of consumer-focused outreach and educational events, specialized programs for real estate professionals, and the hiring and training of key First American staff to better service ethnically diverse communities.

"Working in concert with our industry partners, First American can potentially help create thousands of new homeowners within the Phoenix Hispanic community," said Olivia "Oli" Rodriguez, Arizona Emerging Markets director for First American Title Insurance Company.

"We must first seek to understand the party we are dealing with, especially when we owe the client a fiduciary responsibility," said Castillo. "Seek first to understand and then to be understood."

The Phoenix program will operate in conjunction with The First American Corporation's broader Emerging Markets Program, a corporate-wide commitment launched in 2003 to promote an increase in home sales to traditionally under-served consumer segments. Combining multicultural sales and marketing strategies with industry alliances, philanthropic giving/investment and an increased commitment to management and workforce diversity at First American, the multiyear, multimillion dollar program is designed to help First American capture additional market share by offering innovative solutions to common barriers to homebuying.